Guidance

Applicant's guide: Woodland Management Plan grant 2023

Updated 6 December 2023

Applies to England

1. Important dates and scheme changes

Countryside Stewardship (CS) Woodland Management Plan (WMP) grants are open for applications all year from 5 January 2023.

You can also apply for other CS capital grants at any time of the year.

1. Agreement duration has increased for new agreements. For applications received from 5 January 2023, Agreement Holders will have 3 years to complete capital works.
2. Land in a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) or Scheduled Monument is now eligible for capital items if the land is already covered by an existing CS or Environmental Stewardship (ES) agreement.
3. We are applying more proportionate reductions where claims are received late. Instead of a 100% reduction for being one day late, the reduction will be scaled according to how late the claim is.

2. About the Woodland Management Plan grant

The CS WMP grant is a capital grant under which you can apply for a one-off payment to create a UK Forestry Standard (UKFS) compliant 10-year WMP.

You must have a binding CS agreement for your WMP (which means you’ve applied, been offered and accepted an agreement) before you can start work on your WMP.

2.1 What Woodland Management Plans are

Your WMP must set out the management intentions for your woodland for at least 10 years. It must also be fully compliant with the UKFS. Read create a woodland management plan to find technical guidance on the production and content of a WMP.

Your plan must be approved by the Forestry Commission before you can apply for CS Higher Tier support to deliver your plan under the Higher Tier element.

2.2 Woodland Management Plan agreements and CS Higher Tier

You must have a WMP approved by the Forestry Commission before you can apply for woodland support under the Higher Tier element of CS. This is the case whether the CS Higher Tier application is for woodland only or woodland in a ‘mixed’ agreement (an agreement that includes woodland and agricultural-environment land).

The WMP must be approved (or approved in principle) on or before the deadline for initial CS Higher Tier applications (28 April 2023). If the WMP is only approved in principle at the time the initial CS Higher Tier application is made, the plan must be fully approved (including felling licence in place) by the deadline for final CS Higher Tier applications.

‘Approved in principle’ means that approval of the plan depends on any accompanying felling licence permission being in place, which can often take longer than approval of the WMP. This is because of the requirement to publish felling proposals on a public register for 28 days.

To make sure there is opportunity for a WMP to be at least approved in principle in time for an initial Higher Tier application, you should submit your draft WMP to the Forestry Commission by 31 December of the year before the Higher Tier application will be made.

2.3 Land in Environmental Stewardship agreements

You can make a WMP grant application on land that is already included in an existing ES agreement, if preparation of a WMP is not a requirement of the ES agreement.

However, you cannot enter land in an existing ES agreement into CS Higher Tier, unless it included HC7 or HC8 on woodland that will end before the Higher Tier agreement starts. Those parcels can be included into CS Higher Tier because those options cannot be included in an ES extension.

2.4 When to apply

You can apply at any time. The grant is available throughout the year subject to sufficient budget. Read section 4 for information on how to apply for a WMP.

If you accept an agreement that we have offered to you, you will then need to produce a draft WMP. The standards and procedures the plan must follow are set out in create a woodland management plan.

If you are writing a WMP with grant funding (PA3) Woodland Management Plan, you need to have your grant agreement in place before you start work on your plan.

2.5 What you’ll get paid

The payment rates and conditions help to make sure that the plans we approve provide value for money. The payment rates and conditions help to make sure that the plans we approve provide value for money.

We calculate the amount to be paid using the total area of eligible woodland on the holding. This can include a maximum of 20% newly planted woodland (this is woodland that is under 10 years old at the time of application). However, the WMP must cover all the woodland on the holding (including all newly planted woodland).

Table 1

Total area of eligible woodland	Payment
3 to 50 hectares	Flat rate of £1,500
51 to 100 hectares	Flat rate of £1,500 for the first 50 hectares, plus £30 per additional hectare up to and including 100 hectares
More than 100 hectares	Flat rate of £3,000, plus £15 per additional hectare over 100 hectares

You cannot usually apply for payment for a WMP on land which already has an approved WMP.

If your land already has an approved WMP but a change in circumstances means a new one needs to be written, contact your Forestry Commission area office and talk to a Woodland Officer about whether you are eligible. You can find contact details and office access and opening times on the Forestry Commission website.

2.6 Agreement period

Once you accept an agreement, you have 3 years from the start of the agreement to create the WMP and get approval (including any associated felling approval) from the Forestry Commission. You then have a further 3 months to submit your payment claim.

For example, if your agreement starts on 1 June 2023, the end date of the agreement would be 31 May 2026. Your WMP would need to be completed and approved by then. You would then have until 31 August 2026 to submit your payment claim.

We recommend that you send your draft WMP to the Forestry Commission within the first year of your agreement. If they receive your WMP after this time, they cannot guarantee that they will approve it within the 3-year period. You will get more information about this in the agreement offer letter.

The 3-year duration of your agreement is for the submission and approval of a WMP, including any associated felling approval. It is not for the duration of the work detailed in the WMP itself.

2.7 How applications are assessed

Grant applications for the creation of WMPs are not competitive so we do not score applications. If you are eligible to apply for this grant (read section 3) and there is sufficient budget, the RPA (supported by a Forestry Commission Woodland Officer) will approve your application.

2.8 What the grant cannot pay for

The WMP grant cannot be used to pay for:

• planning application fees or other transactional fees meeting legal requirements, including planning conditions and Tenancy agreements.
• the cost of the woodland management work itself
• any work done before the agreement start date or materials ordered
• any agent fees or other advisory fees

3. Who can apply and what land is eligible

The CS WMP grant is open to land managers who are:

• an owner occupier
• a tenant
• a landlord
• a licensor

3.1 Land that is eligible for WMP grants

To be eligible for the scheme the land must be woodland. Woodland is defined as an area of land that:

• is at least 0.5 hectares
• has an average width of at least 20 metres
• is under groups or lines of trees that are, or will reach, at least 5 metres in height
• has a crown cover of more than 20% of the ground area

The woodland must be larger than 3 hectares in total, within a minimum woodland block size of 0.5 hectares.

All woodland on your holding must be included in the WMP (see section 4.2). A holding is all the land in one geographical location that is managed as a single, separate unit. We calculate the amount to be paid using the total area of eligible woodland on the holding. This can include a maximum of 20% newly planted woodland (this is woodland that is under 10 years old at the time of application).

The area of eligible internal open space shall be limited to 20% of the total woodland area (in limited and exceptional cases this may be increased to 30%). Open space may include forest tracks, rides, way leaves and other permanent open areas, but should be managed as part of the woodland environment.

You cannot claim payment for WMP (PA3 Woodland Management) on land which is used to claim Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) but you can include that area in the WMP. For example, you can include an area of short rotation coppice that is used to claim for BPS in your WMP but cannot include the area in your WMP grant payment claim.

Land that has previously received funding for a WMP is eligible for another grant to produce a new woodland management plan. The existing plan must be within one year of expiry and plans should not overlap.

However, under the allowance for including up to 20% newly planted woodland in the WMP agreement, we will not accept any land that you are using to claim for BPS and that is also:

• currently in an HS2 (High Speed Two) agreement
• currently in a Woodland Carbon Fund (WCF) agreement
• currently in an England Woodland Creation Offer (EWCO) agreement

Or either:

• within the durability period under CS Woodland Creation (5 years following the agreement end date)
• currently in a Woodland Creation Maintenance grant agreement (10 years)
• currently under an English Woodland Grant Scheme (EWGS), Farm Woodland Payment (FWP) or Farm Woodland Premium Scheme (FWPS) agreement

Land parcels already included in another CS agreement or in an ES Higher Level Stewardship agreement are also eligible for a Woodland Management Plan, provided the same WMP isn’t being funded twice, and the options and items are compatible.

3.2 Land that is not eligible

The following land is not eligible for the scheme:

• land that does not meet the definition of a woodland, as set out in section 3.1
• developed land and hard standing (including permanent caravan sites and areas used for permanent storage)
• land that is already part of another obligation which is incompatible with CS, for example woodland that is already under an obligation to have a written management plan, for example due to a planning consent
• any land parcels which are not entirely within England – parcels that are either partly or entirely within Scotland or Wales are not eligible for CS
• land where you do not have management control for the period of the agreement and you are not able to have an application countersigned by the landowner (read section 3.3)
• land within the HS2 route safeguarding zone

3.3 Management control: who can apply

You must have management control of the land and all activities needed to meet the requirements of the WMP you select for the full period of the agreement (3 years).

If you do not, you must get the written consent of all other parties who have management control of the land and activities for the entire period of the capital agreement.

3.3.1 Tenants

If you are a tenant, including under the Agricultural Holdings Act 1986, the Agricultural Tenancies Act 1995 (a Farm Business Tenancy) or equivalent, and you are applying for an agreement in your own name, you must have:

• management control for the period of the agreement.
• control of all the activities needed to meet the scheme requirements for the chosen WMP
• security of tenure for the full 3-year period of the agreement

If you do not, you must get your landlord to countersign your application. If you are not able to do this, you cannot include that particular area of land in your application.

You must have the agreement of your landlord or the landowner before you apply.

It is your responsibility to check that you do not breach the terms of your tenancy by joining CS.

If the landlord takes over a CS agreement from you once your tenancy has ended, they must be eligible to do so. For example, they must not be an ineligible public body.

3.3.2 Landlords

If you are a landlord and can show that you keep management control over the land and activities, you can apply for an agreement on land you have let to a tenant.

Dual use (where the applicant for this grant is different to the applicant for BPS on the same land), is possible under this grant. You can claim for PA3 on land that is subject to BPS, that is, areas of young woodland which are still being used to claim BPS and which are within the 20% allowance. The applicant must still show they have management control over the land.

For more information read guidance on woodland grant schemes and BPS: operations note 42.

As the agreement holder, you must give your tenant a copy of the CS agreement. We may ask you to provide evidence to show that you have done this. It is your responsibility to make sure that your tenant does not breach the terms of the agreement.

3.3.3 Partnerships

If you are in a business partnership, you can apply for CS. The person submitting the application must have the appropriate permission levels in the Rural Payments service.

3.3.4 Licensors

If you are a licensor, you can apply for a CS agreement. It is your responsibility to make sure that the licensee does not breach the terms of the CS agreement.

You must make sure that the licensee is aware of the requirements of the agreement, as relevant to the licence, and include these in the licence agreement.

3.3.5 Licensees

Licensees are usually not eligible for CS as a licence arrangement will not provide sufficient management control of the land to the licensee for the agreement period.

If in practice your licence agreement gives you wider land management responsibilities, this may mean you are a tenant and therefore may be eligible for CS. You must show that you have sufficient management control of the land and activities to be able to apply. See section 3.3.1 for more information about CS for tenants.

3.3.6 Land owned by public bodies

Land owned or run by a public body is in general not eligible for CS Land is not eligible if it is owned or run by:

• Crown bodies (including all government departments, executive agencies and trading funds)
• non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs)

See a list of all government departments, agencies and public bodies on GOV.UK.

Land owned by some public bodies is eligible for CS provided the work does not form part of their obligations as a public body.

This includes land owned by:

• local authorities
• national park authorities
• public corporations

Parish councils and former college farms are not considered to be public bodies and so are eligible to apply for CS.

3.3.7 Tenants of land owned by public bodies

If you are a tenant of a public body, you will need to check with your landlord if the land is eligible for CS.

If the land is eligible, you will be eligible for CS, but the public body must countersign your application if you do not have security of tenure. You will not be eligible for funding any work which is already a requirement of your tenancy agreement or any other legally binding obligation.

If the land is not eligible, you will still be eligible for CS if you have security of tenure for the full term of the agreement, including the durability requirement, as the public body cannot countersign the application. You will not be eligible for funding any work which is already a requirement of your tenancy agreement or any other legally binding obligation.

3.4 Land receiving other funding

You cannot combine the WMP grant with other sources of public funding to provide the same plan on the same land. You cannot use the grant to produce a WMP which you are required to carry out under other agreements, for example work which is already a requirement of a tenancy agreement or other grant schemes such as:

• ES
• other grants within CS
• SFI
• EWGS
• Farming Recovery Fund
• Heritage Lottery Fund
• Inheritance Tax exemption

You may be able to apply for a WMP grant agreement in addition to an existing CS, ES or SFI agreement, as long as:

• the same action is not being funded twice
• the actions required in your existing agreement and your CS WMP agreement are compatible

You must make sure that any work proposed for this grant does not breach the conditions of any other agreement. We will carry out checks to make sure that capital works are not funded twice from public money.

4. How to apply for a Woodland Management Plan (WMP) grant

This section gives the information you need to apply for support when creating a WMP, through CS.

4.1 Check you’re registered

You must register on the Rural Payments service before you can apply for a CS agreement.

Agents applying for you must also be registered in the Rural Payments service and you must give them the appropriate permission levels in the service.

You must make sure that all the land parcels listed on your application are registered in the Rural Payments service and have a parcel reference number (in the format AA1234 5678). You will be asked to provide your parcel reference numbers when you apply.

To register land, you must complete a Rural Land and Entitlements (RLE1) form and provide annotated maps to clearly show where the land parcels are on your holding and send this to RPA.

You can read more information about registering and updating your details at Rural Payments service: registering and updating your details.

4.2 Make sure the proposed WMP covers all woodland on the holding

You should include all woodland on your holding when you apply for a WMP grant. However, if your business manages a number of several woodlands in different locations, it may not be appropriate to produce a single WMP that covers all of them. to cover them all. In this situation you can apply to create a plan that covers part of your holding. The Forestry Commission will provide technical advice that will help to decide what forms a holding in each case. Read section 3.1 for more information.

4.3 Ways to apply

There are 2 ways that you can submit a WMP application. You can apply:

• online using the Rural Payments service
• by email or post using the WMP grant application form (available to download from GOV.UK)

If you are unable to get online, you can also request a copy of the application form. A complete WMP grant application is made up of:

• the WMP application form (either submitted online or sent by email or post)
• the WMP annex – if you are applying online you do not need to fill in the land summary tab in the WMP annex, as you will have already selected your land parcels as part of the online application
• a map of the land to be included in the application – this must meet the minimum mapping standards (see section 4.4)

You must not submit a draft WMP with your CS application. You can only start work on the draft WMP once you have accepted the offer, signed the agreement, returned it to us and the agreement start date has passed.

If you are eligible and we offer you an agreement, you will need to follow Annex 1: CS Terms and Conditions.

4.3.1 Apply online

You can apply for a WMP grant online through the Rural Payments service. Use the how to complete your online Woodland Management Plan grant application guidance to help you.

You cannot submit the WMP annex online, even if you are applying online. You must send us the annex by email or post. To request an annex, email ruralpayments@defra.gov.uk or call 03000 200 301.

4.3.2 Apply by email or post

If you cannot apply online, you can send us a WMP grant application form by email or post. Use the how to complete your Woodland Management Plan grant application by email or post guidance to help you.

If you are unable to get online, or cannot download the application form, you can also request a copy of the form by emailing ruralpayments@defra.gov.uk or calling 03000 200 301.

4.4 Prepare a map to accompany your application

You must provide a map (or maps) showing the full area of the woodland you are including in your proposed WMP and send this with your WMP grant application.

There is guidance on how to prepare your map in:

• how to complete your online Woodland Management Plan grant application
• how to complete your Woodland Management Plan grant application by email or post

4.5 Business viability test

We will check all applicants against an insolvency register. If we assess your application as not financially viable, we may not offer you an agreement.

For applications including capital expenditure of more than £50,000, you must submit a statement from a registered accountant (for example, a chartered accountant or certified accountant). This is to confirm that the business or SBI has the resources from trading profits, reserves or loans to undertake the work in the proposed agreement schedule.

Where confirmation from an accountant is needed, the accountant will need to provide a letter on headed paper which confirms:

• they are a registered accountant
• they act as the accountant for the applicant or have been contracted to act on behalf of the applicant
• that you as the applicant have sufficient finances to complete the capital works in your application and how these funds will be sourced (for example, savings or loan)
• their understanding of the total value of the capital works in the application

4.6 Getting consent

You do not need to provide any consent when you make your WMP grant application.

However, if the work proposed affects certain designated sites, such as SSSIs or Scheduled Monuments, we may need to see your consents before we can approve your WMP. Read create a woodland management plan for more information.

4.7 Submit your application and supporting documents

Submit your application by:

• following the online application process
• sending us an application form by email or post

You also need to send us:

• the WMP annex
• a map of the land included in the application

Use the how to complete your online Woodland Management Plan grant application or how to complete your Woodland Management Plan grant application by email or post to help you submit your application.

4.8 After you apply

4.8.1 Missing information and rejection

Once we receive your application, we will carry out a number of checks on it and will contact you if there is any missing information. You must send us the missing information we ask for within the timescales we give you. If you do not, we may reject your application.

If this happens, you will then need to resubmit your application, making sure you provide all the information we need and that you have met all of the eligibility requirements. You must not start to create a WMP until you have an agreement.

4.8.2 Receiving an offer and accepting an agreement

If you apply online (outlined in section 4.3.1), you will only be able to submit your application if you have met all the eligibility requirements. The Rural Payments service will reject your application immediately if it fails any of the eligibility requirements. The service gives onscreen feedback to explain why this has happened. If this happens, you can edit and resubmit your application.

If you apply using a paper form (outlined in section 4.3.2), we will need to manually carry out eligibility checks. We will contact you if you fail any of the checks and explain how you can correct them.

If you are eligible, we will send you an agreement offer by post. You must accept or decline the offer, sign and date the declaration and return it to us. You can ask us for an acknowledgement that we have received your signed agreement. You cannot modify, extend, or amend the WMP agreement.

The agreement start date will be shown on your agreement and will usually be 3 – 6 weeks after you receive your agreement offer. The agreement start date cannot be amended.

4.8.3 Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs)

If you wish to enter a Higher Tier agreement and your land holding contains SSSIs, whether it is in or outside of woodland, you must consult Natural England.

If the SSSI is found to be in poor condition, a PA2 Feasibility Study may be required. This study must be undertaken before a Higher Tier application can proceed. It is advised to declare any historic and archaeological features within your woodland at the earliest opportunity for them to be fully considered in time.

If the land parcels within your application overlap with a Registered Park or Garden, you will need to complete a Feasibility Study (Parkland Management Plan), if there isn’t one for that parcel already, to be considered for CS Higher Tier. Additionally, you will need to get landowner consent, which could take time if there are multiple landowners.

You must have an approved WMP throughout the 5-year period of your Higher Tier agreement. If you have a WMP that ends before your Higher Tier agreement does, you will need approval of a new WMP for the remainder of your Higher Tier agreement.

You can submit your draft for a new WMP at any point, but it must be before your existing WMP ends.

If your Higher Tier application relates to a woodland SSSI, you also need Natural England to give their consent on your new WMP. You will be able to submit a SSSI management notice for Natural England consent if you have WMPs in place for the duration of your woodland CS agreement. If you intend to include historic environment multi-year options or capital items within the woodland in your CS application for Higher Tier, the work required should be declared in your WMP.

For any work related to Scheduled Monuments (SMs) you may need to contact Historic England for consent. This can either be obtained separately or in parallel with the Forestry Commission’s approval of your WMP.

4.8.4 Creating and submitting a draft WMP

You can only start work creating a WMP after the agreement start date. You must follow the technical guidance outlined in create a woodland management plan and submit the WMP to the Forestry Commission (read annex for details).

You can find information on biodiversity and woodland management intended to benefit rare and declining woodland wildlife in the Woodland Wildlife Toolkit.

Do not send your draft WMP to the RPA. You must send it to the Forestry Commission.

The maximum size of emails that we can accept is 32MB. When you send your application by email make sure it’s not over this limit. If it is over the limit, you will need to split the information and send more than one email, each less than 32MB. For security reasons, we cannot accept discs, USB pen drives or other external storage media.

A Forestry Commission Woodland Officer will contact you and help you to develop the plan for final approval. The final WMP (including any associated felling permissions) needs to be approved by the Forestry Commission before the agreement end date (read section 2.6 for agreement duration).

4.9 Woodland Management Plan (WMP) application process (through capital item PA3)

The list below shows the process from applying to claiming payment:

1. Applicant wants to manage their woodland so contacts Forestry Commission.
2. Applicant (or agent) registers the woodland on the Rural Payments service.
3. Applicant (or agent) submits WMP application (online or paper) to RPA (with WMP annex and maps).
4. If the applicant is eligible, RPA offer a grant agreement.
5. Applicant accepts the grant agreement offer.
6. Applicant (or agent) talks to Forestry Commission Woodland Officer, produces a draft WMP and submits to Forestry Commission Administrative Hub for a Woodland Officer to check it meets with the UKFS.
7. The draft WMP is either approved in principle or reasons given why it fails to meet the UKFS. Aim for a maximum of 2 iterations of the WMP.
8. Any felling proposals included in the draft WMP are placed on the Public Register and any statutory consultation is undertaken by the Forestry Commission.
9. Felling licence approved and WMP is approved by the Forestry Commission.
10. Applicant (or their agent) submits a claim to RPA which is then paid.

You can apply for a WMP grant using the Woodland Management Plan grant Application form.

You can read about PA3 at PA3: Woodland management plan.

The WMP must cover all woodland on your holding (read section 3.1 for more information) and you must use the Forestry Commission WMP template to create it – see create a woodland management plan for more information.

Annex 1: CS Terms and Conditions

See the CS Terms and Conditions 2023.

Annex 2: Contact details

Contact Rural Payments Agency (RPA)

You can contact RPA by email, phone or post.

Rural Payments Agency (CS)
PO Box 324
Worksop
S95 1DF

Email: ruralpayments@defra.gov.uk

Telephone: 03000 200 301
Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 5pm, except bank holidays
Find out about call charges

For Higher Tier only: To request pre-populated applications forms:

• use the Rural Payments service
• email or call us

Please quote your single business identifier (SBI) and agreement number in all enquiries.

Contact Natural England

You can contact Natural England by email, phone or post.

Natural England
County Hall
Spetchley Road
Worcester
WR5 2NP

Email: enquiries@naturalengland.org.uk

Telephone: 0300 060 3900
March to September: Monday to Friday, 10am to 4pm, except bank holidays
October to February: Monday to Friday, 10am to 3pm, except bank holidays
Find out about call charges

Contact other organisations

You may also need to:

• contact the Forestry Commission
• contact Historic England
• contact Catchment Sensitive Farming (CSF)